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Chapter 5x: Unbroken Heart

Opening

Renvall

(Murray rides up to Tirado.)
murray
Lord Tirado.
tirado
Murray. What tidings bring you?
murray
Nothing much to report, sir. Situation remains the same.
tirado
What about our "friend" on the prince's side?
murray
I've not been able to contact him.
I guess he's trying to be more cautious.
tirado
Hmm... I do not like this. They're being far too quiet.
Where's the Prince Ephraim that hounded us at every turn?
murray
Perhaps his last defeat left him too afraid to return?
tirado
Please. Our last skirmish was hardly a defeat on his part.
They only retreated because our ally feigned injury.
By now that excuse will have ran its course, as well...
We should be wary. They could strike at any time.

Murray! What about General Valter? Are there no news?

murray
None, milord.
tirado
I wonder if the general even received the message.
Perhaps we should send someone else to find reinforcements.
That girl of Zonta's could probably sneak away unnoticed...
offscreen
Lord Tirado! Are you here?!
murray
Speak of the devil... There's the man himself.
tirado
He sounds agitated. Ready your weapons just in case, Murray.
murray
Yes, Lord Tirado!
(Zonta, Zabba, and Deni approach.)
tirado
Zonta? What has you so panicky?
zonta
They're here, Lord Tirado! Ephraim and his cadre!
tirado
As expected. Very well, adopt defensive positions and--
zonta
It's not just them this time! T-They've a whole army!
tirado
What?! Who are they?
zabba
No idea. They don't look like any mercenaries we know.
I don't think they're Renais knights, either...
tirado
Of course not.
Renais knights could not possibly have ventured this deep into Grado...
zonta
What do we do now, milord? Do we abandon the castle?
tirado
Surely you jest! If we do that, General Valter will string us all up.
Besides, we still have not seen what this army of Ephraim's looks like.
I cannot imagine how he could have snuck this many troops this deep into Grado.
No, I suspect this must be an uncoordinated rabble of local sellswords.
zabba
Hey...
tirado
If we can win the day here, Ephraim and his pawns will be demoralized.
Fight cautiously but with conviction, everyone!
zonta
I don't know, milord. This feels a bit above our paygrade...
tirado
Then your paygrade shall be raised.
AFTER you do your jobs and protect us and the keep.
zonta
(smiles) Heh... Now you're speaking my language, Lord Tirado.
This is why I like you. To arms, Zabba, Deni!
zabba
Long as you keep the gold coming, my blade will be ready to serve.
deni
Well, I'll... help as much as I can!
From the back. Please. D-Don't make me see combat...!
zonta
Don't you worry about a thing, Lord Tirado.
We'll bring you Ephraim's head this time for sure!
tirado
Hm... I wonder...
Murray!
murray
Yes, milord?
tirado
I had hoped to do this later, but desperate times...
We'll have to spring our man on the other side into action.
I'll deliver the signal when the time is right...
He may require aid, and we must be ready to provide it to him.
Six turns of the glass should be enough to secure some ground.
murray
I'll spread the word around.
We'll show them the fury of Murray's Brigade, milord!
tirado
...Yes. Of course.

Chapter Tips

[Chapter 5x] Game of Thrones

Don't worry about defending the throne. The enemies don't care about it.

I mean, why would they? It's just a chair.

Oh, and by the way, you cannot block the reinforcements on this map. Don't get trapped now!

Enemy Turn 1

ephraim
Kyle, Forde, are you ready?
forde
(smiles) With an army this size? Ready and raring, Prince!
kyle
They are hopelessly outnumbered. We're certain to capture Renvall this time!
ephraim
Don't lose focus, you two.
The enemy leader is cunning. He's kept us at bay thus far.
We must be careful, even with this large an advantage.
Moreover, we are responsible for more than just our lives now.
We cannot repay these people for their aid with death.
kyle
Right you are, Prince Ephraim. My apologies.
forde
(serious) Fine, you're right, Prince. It's not over till it's over.
Let's take this seriously, all right, Kyle?
kyle
That's MY line, Forde!
ephraim
...Orson.
orson
Prince Ephraim?
ephraim
I trust your injury has healed properly?
orson
Of course. I am able to fight.
ephraim
Don't push yourself, Orson.
If the battle takes a turn for the worst, I want you to flee.
Ride to Frelia and inform them of the situation.
orson
...Let us hope it does not come to that, Prince Ephraim.

Turn 6 (or if player unit enters Orson's range)

tirado
It's time...
Can you hear me, friend? The time has come!
You know what you must do next...
orson
...!
ephraim
That's the voice of the enemy commander, is it not?
Vague order to give so loudly... I wonder what that means.
orson
......
(Orson turns on Ephraim.)
orson
Forgive me, Prince Ephraim.
I must do this... For my love...
ephraim
What?
(Orson attacks and wounds Ephraim, but Ephraim retaliates, leaving Orson within an inch of his life. Kyle and Forde move to shield Ephraim as Orson staggers back.)
orson
Gwaaah...!
ephraim
Urrrghh!
Orson! What are you...?!
(Kyle moves in front of Ephraim.)
kyle
Prince Ephraim! Behind me!
ephraim
Kyle...! Watch out!
kyle
Worry not, Your Highness. I shall protect you with my life!
forde
Don't hog all the fun now, Kyle. I'm here to protect the prince too.
Not quite like our traitorous old friend there...
Come now, Orson. Drop that sword slowly.
orson
...No... I cannot fall here.
She needs me...
(Orson retreats.)
ephraim
Gah... Blast...
How careless of me...
kyle
You're badly hurt, Prince Ephraim!
Allow me to escort you out of this place.
Forde, sound the retreat!
ephraim
No, Kyle... It's all right.
I can walk. I'll make my own way outside.
The plan does not change. You must seize Renvall!
forde
(smiles) Even with a gaping gash on your side, you still speak like everything's under control.
There's the Prince Ephraim I swore eternal loyalty to.
kyle
Forde! Be serious! The prince is grievously wounded! We must--
forde
(serious) We must beat them. That'll do more to cure his injuries than retreating.
Isn't that right, Prince Ephraim?
ephraim
Yes... Kyle, remember who is fighting with us.
We cannot abandon our allies to save our own hides.
kyle
...You're right. Forgive my lapse in judgment, Prince Ephraim!
ephraim
There's nothing to forgive. Just win the day!
kyle
As you command, Prince Ephraim!
forde
(smiles) It's for moments like these that I follow you, my prince.
(Ephraim leaves the battlefield.)

Conversations

Zabba & Deni

zabba
Deni! Stay behind us, all right?
Today more than ever, things are gonna get dicey.
deni
Y-Yeah, you don't need to tell me twice, Zabba...
Goodness, what a dangerous job Zonta picked for us this time!
zabba
...Sigh... You know something? I don't get you.
deni
Eh...?
zabba
Why are you here? You're not made for this life.
Your hands tremble when holding a weapon, despite your strength.
You clearly don't have it in you to fight.
So why stick with us? We're mercs. Fighting's pretty much all we do.
deni
You're right about all that, but... Where else am I gonna go?
No one wants a former brigand working for 'em.
Didn't want to go back to that kind of life either, so...
Joinin' a merc band like yours seemed like my only option...
zabba
Life's not easy, that's for sure. But still...
I feel like you could do better than this.
deni
I wonder...

Orson & Tirado

tirado
Orson... What a terrible cut.
What has happened?
orson
Prince Ephraim... I underestimated him...
I was able to strike him, but he reacted swiftly...
tirado
I suppose it was foolish to expect a simple betrayal to end a man like him.
It shall not be a problem. You have done your part, Orson.
We will take over now. I will break Ephraim's neck myself.
orson
No... I will assist you.
tirado
Oh? Why, thank you, Orson. I would appreciate your aid.
orson
Anything to get my Monica back...
...I WILL get her back, Lord Tirado...
tirado
Of course. You are doing so much for us.
I would be remiss not to grant you your just recompense.
orson
......
Then my sword is yours.

Kyle

Combat

kyle
In the name of Renais!

Defeat

kyle
Ghh... It can't be...
That I must retreat... At a time like this...
Disgraceful...

Forde

Combat

forde
You've come far... Guess it's my turn now.

Defeat

forde
Yeah, much as I'd like to stick around and die...
I think it's about time I cut my losses and ran.

Ending

(Tirado withdraws to the throne room, where an injured enemy soldier remains.)
tirado
It appears it has ended.
Phew... I am loath to admit it, but I can hardly believe we survived.
Curse that Ephraim...
(The enemy soldier crawls towards Tirado.)
soldier
...G...Ghhh...uuhh...
tirado
Mm? Oh, a survivor.
How convenient. Listen closely, my good man.
I am going to ask you one simple question.
If I am satisfied by your answer, your life may be spared.
soldier
D...Damn you... I'm not...telling you...any...
tirado
Very well. The question is as follows.
Who are you, and why do you help Ephraim of Renais?
soldier
......
The mad emperor... will be stopped...!
Grado... Grado will not stand... by his warmongering...
tirado
...Oh. I see.
Grado rebels.
soldier
...It's...not over... It'll never be over...
tirado
Well, you did answer my question. You have my gratitude.

(smiles) Alas, among my many virtues, I do not count honesty.

(Tirado kills the soldier.)

If Orson survived

(Orson approaches Tirado.)
tirado
Ah, Orson. Good to see you.
You performed admirably today. We couldn't have done it without you.
Tell me, how is your injury?
orson
...Where is she?
tirado
Your wife, I presume?
orson
I wish to see her...
I need to know I have not been deceived.
You will tell me where she is...
tirado
Naturally. You have earned a night's respite in your beloved's arms.
Father Riev prepared a chamber for her in this very keep.
She has been living there in comfort for these past weeks.
It is the second room on the right when entering the lower level. Simple.
orson
(smiles) Monica... At long last...
(Orson leaves.)
tirado
...What a pitiful wretch.
I can only hope you find solace in your puppet.

If Murray survived

murray
L-Lord Tirado!
tirado
Murray? What's wrong?
murray
Oh, it's terrible... The...!
tirado
Take a deep breath.
murray
There's more! More enemies! They're coming!
(Tirado starts.)
tirado
What?!
murray
They have knights, they have mages... They have healers!
Ephraim and his goons are being tended to as we speak!
They'll come back for more in a matter of hours-- minutes, maybe!
tirado
Blast... That cannot be...
This sounds far worse than some unhappy rank-and-file.
What in the world could be happening in the capital?
murray
Lord Tirado, what do we do now?! They have the castle surrounded!
tirado
...With me, Murray.

If Murray died

tirado
Hmm? What is that noise?

Wait... Cavalry? Here? But Murray was the only...
...Oh, blast...
What's going on out there?
By the sounds of it, there's a lot of them and they are getting closer...
I had better rendezvous with the mercenaries.

If Deni survived

(Tirado approaches Deni, who is alone.)
tirado
It's you... What is your name?
Ah, we do not have time! Where are Zonta and the girl?!
deni
I... I... I-I have no idea!
With all the chaos of the battle, I lost track of them...
They could be dead... Y-You don't think they're dead, right?
tirado
What is this?! I asked you where they are!
Answer my question or be silent!
deni
P-Please, don't take it out on me! It's not my fault!
tirado
No... They must have abandoned us...

(Tirado stamps in frustration.)

Mercenary vultures! Fie on them!

deni
You sure they're not just dead, sir?
I don't know if they'd just up and leave like that...
T-They didn't say anything to me...
tirado
Yes, it would seem they do not value your presence much.
It is not difficult to see why. You refuse to fight, after all.
deni
But... I thought they... liked my music...
tirado
Who wants to hear depressing hymns in the middle of a battle?
At least play something cheerful, man! Something, I don't know, victorious!
Your somber jingles are only suitable for the graveyard!
deni
...Everyone's a critic, I guess...
tirado
Wait, why am I wasting time arguing about music with you?
We need to go...
deni
G-Go where, sir?
tirado
I... I have no idea...

(Tirado flounders with impotent fury.)

A thousand curses upon you, Ephraaaaaaim!!

If Deni died

(Tirado searches for the mercenaries, but finds no one.)
tirado
Damn... Where is everyone?
Could they all have fallen? I suppose it is a possibility...

...But more likely, they have abandoned us.

(Tirado stamps in frustration.)

Mercenary vultures! Fie on them!
Very well. Let us not waste any more time.
...Ahh, but where to? The place is crawling with rebels...
I... I have no idea what to do...

(Tirado flounders with impotent fury.)

A thousand curses upon you, Ephraaaaaaim!!

Castle Renais

(Vigarde sits on the throne, flanked by a shaman and a royal guard.)
vigarde
......
shaman
...Looks like the sun is setting.
Will you retire for the night now, Your Majesty?
vigarde
Yes. I will retire for the night now.
shaman
......
vigarde
......
shaman
...Very well... Then, we'll escort you to your chambers!
vigarde
You will escort me to my chambers.
(The shaman steps away.)
shaman
......
guard
Psst... Hey, man....
shaman
What?
guard
Okay, so we both know there's something weird about him, right?
shaman
Shhh! He's going to hear you, you fool!
guard
C'mon. Look at his thousand yard stare.
Almost feels like he can't hear anything at all, sometimes.
Could he be sick? I mean, we're supposed to be his bodyguards.
He should be more forthcoming with us at least, if you ask me.
shaman
...I think you'd do well to keep your opinions to yourself.
guard
Nngh... Sorry, man. It's probably just my imagination.
I'm bored out of my mind... This has to be the most boring post in all of Magvel.
shaman
Beats dying on the frontlines, don't you think?
guard
I guess, but... Sheesh, even still.
Nothing's happened since we got here.
I'd love if SOMETHING would happen! Anything!
shaman
Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it--
offscreen
E-Emperor Vigarde! Dire news!
shaman
...Oh, no...
(A messenger approaches.)
messenger
Y-Your Majesty! You're not gonna believe this, but...
vigarde
......

Character Descriptions

Tirado
General Valter's aide. He has utter confidence in his own ingenuity.

Murray
A cavalier of Grado and a trusted confidant of Tirado.

[Murray and Tirado have C-rank support with each other.]

Zonta
The leader of a mercenary band working in the pay of Tirado.

Zabba
A mercenary in Zonta's band. She was once a friend to the mercenary Gerik.

Deni
Former member of Bazba's Bandits. He's found a new calling in music.

Orson (before betrayal)
A cavalier of Renais. He's a devoted husband and a serene and quiet man.

Orson
A former cavalier now serving Grado in hopes of restoring his dead wife.

Kyle
A steadfast and honorable cavalier in sworn service to Renais.

Forde
A cavalier of Renais. He is skilled, but reckless. He's Franz's brother.

Ephraim
The prince of Renais. He is a man of great honor and bravery.

Unknown
Unknown forces that answer to Ephraim.